Chicken Supreme with Mash

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts (supreme), skin-on
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 50g unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 150ml chicken stock
• 100ml double cream
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 900g floury potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 150ml milk, warmed
• 300g tenderstem broccoli (optional)
• sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• Crusty bread, to serve
• Dressed green salad, to serve

Method

1. Bring the potatoes to the boil in well-salted water and cook for 15–18 minutes, until a knife slides through without resistance. Drain thoroughly and leave them in the colander for a minute or two so the steam carries off excess moisture — wet potatoes make gluey mash, dry potatoes make silky mash.
2. Pat the chicken supremes bone-dry with kitchen paper and season generously on both sides with salt and pepper before they hit the pan — water on the surface means steam, and steam means no browning. Heat the oil and half the butter in an ovenproof stainless or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until the butter is foaming.
3. Lay the breasts skin-side down with space between them — if your pan is smaller, do this in two batches. Crowd them and the heat drops, juices weep out, and you'll steam the skin instead of crisping it. Leave them alone for 6–8 minutes, until the skin is deeply golden and releases from the pan without a fight.
4. Turn the breasts, tuck the crushed garlic and thyme sprigs into the foaming butter, then move the pan straight to a 180°C oven for 8–10 minutes. The garlic should perfume the butter, not colour past pale gold — burnt garlic turns the whole sauce bitter, so keep an eye on it as you transfer the pan. Pull the chicken at 72°C internal; it'll carry up to 75°C as it rests.
5. While the chicken roasts, mash the drained potatoes with the remaining butter and the warmed milk until smooth and glossy. Season well, taste, and adjust — this is the moment, not at the table. Keep warm under a lid. Drop the tenderstem into a pan of salted boiling water and blanch for 2–3 minutes, until bright green and just tender with a bit of bite. Drain.
6. Lift the chicken onto a board to rest, skin-side up. Set the pan back over medium heat — those browned bits stuck to the base are the whole point — pour in the hot stock and scrape everything up with a wooden spoon as it bubbles. Simmer for a minute to reduce, then stir in the cream and wholegrain mustard. Let it bubble gently until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Taste and season again — the mustard brings sharpness, but it still needs a final pinch of salt to tie it together.
7. Carve each breast on the diagonal. Pile mash onto warm plates, lay the chicken on top, and arrange the tenderstem alongside. Spoon the mustard cream sauce generously over the chicken so it pools around the mash, scatter the chopped parsley across, and serve with the lemon wedges on the side for a squeeze of lemon over the crisp skin — the acid cuts through the cream and lifts everything.